LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May has joined more than 2,000 people at London's Westminster Abbey to celebrate the contribution of immigrants from the Caribbean, 70 years to the day after hundreds of West Indians arrived to help rebuild war-scarred Britain.

The former troop ship Empire Windrush landed on June 22, 1948, carrying people from across the Caribbean who had responded to an ad offering cheap tickets to those seeking work in the U.K.

Friday's anniversary comes weeks after the government apologized over its treatment of people from the Caribbean who were wrongly identified as living in Britain illegally. Some were refused jobs and medical treatment or denied re-entry after trips abroad because they couldn't prove their status.

The government says it will pay compensation to affected members of the "Windrush generation."